Royal Castle of Senlis and Priory of Saint-Maurice

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Royal Castle of Senlis dates back to the Merovingian period and was the site of the election of Hugh Capet in 987, but it was entirely rebuilt under Louis VI, known as Louis the Fat, around 1130. It served as a royal residence until the early sixteenth century and fell into ruin shortly before the Revolution; most of the surviving buildings were demolished in 1812 and 1861. The Priory of Saint-Maurice was founded by Saint Louis around 1262–1264 and was built close to the royal castle. Due to an insufficient number of monks, it was suppressed in 1768; the cloister and chapel were demolished after the Revolution. What remains is the monks' building, now the municipal multi-purpose hall, and the eighteenth-century prior's residence, which the town of Senlis bought back in 1956 in order to house the Musée de la Vénerie. The ruins of the Royal Castle and the Priory of Saint-Maurice all stand on a single site, laid out as a park, and are freely accessible every day except Tuesday.